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Antipsychotics for children decline, but concerns over prescribing remain
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the brown university psychopharmacology update
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7532
pISSN - 1068-5308
DOI - 10.1002/pu.30085
Subject(s) - medical prescription , medicine , antipsychotic , psychiatry , pharmacy , young adult , population , pediatrics , family medicine , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , gerontology , environmental health , pharmacology
In what is believed to be the first population‐level analysis of antipsychotic prescribing in young people from a nationwide pharmacy claims database, a new study has found that antipsychotic use from 2006–2010 declined in children ages 12 and younger but increased in adolescents and young adults. Among the disturbing findings of the analysis are that only a small minority of young people receive their antipsychotic prescriptions from a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and that most youths receiving these drugs do not have a formal psychiatric diagnosis and have not received psychotherapy in addition to medication.